Click images to enlarge
By Doug Schneider Click images to enlarge High pressure will remain in control of the weather across southern and central Florida today, providing mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures for today's race. There may be some morning fog in the area around sunrise, but this should burn off quickly and be gone by the time the pre-race activities start. High temperatures this afternoon will be near 90 degrees F, or 33 C. For those who are camping at the track into Sunday, the weather on Sunday also looks dry and warm, pretty similar to today.
By Doug Schneider Click on images to enlarge Rain-free conditions are expected later this week for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. A weak disturbance could bring some light rain or sprinkles at the track on Wednesday night, but by the time racing starts on Thursday, any chance of rain will be gone. A high pressure ridge will be over Florida through the rest of the weekend, providing very warm temperatures each day and mostly sunny skies.
One thing I've learned from years of forecasting at Sebring is that the temperature often gets hotter at the track than the surrounding area, so you may see other forecasts out there that have slightly cooler temperatures. I think the Sebring "heat island" effect will add a few degrees to the high temperatures, with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s F (lower to mid 30s C). By Doug Schneider Click on images to enlarge The weather continues to look good for the Rolex 24. Warm temperatures can e expected today, with a high around 80 degrees. Clouds will gradually increase through the afternoon and evening as a cold front approaches from the northwest. This front could squeeze out a few light showers in the pre-dawn to mid morning hours. However, if there are any showers, only a few hundredths of an inch is expected. I don't think this will have a significant impact on the race. I can't entirely rule out lightning in the area, but the chance of it happening at the track is very low. Winds will pick up to 10 to 20 mph in the closing hours of the race, shifting to a west direction behind the cold front.
I'll be posting updates about the weather on our X account - @RacecastWx. By Doug Schneider Click on images to enlarge Not much has changed in the expected weather pattern for the Rolex 24. Overall, the weather is expected to be great, with mild temperatures and mostly dry conditions.
The one change I've made to the forecast is on Sunday. In my initial forecast, I mentioned a cold front moving through the area over the weekend, bringing chance of a sprinkle, but the chance of measurable rain has gone up slightly today. The chance of rain is still pretty low, and the amount of rain I'm expecting is only a couple hundredths of an inch. This should not have much impact on the race, but the timing could be interesting. The front and the showers associated with it are expected during the early afternoon, in the closing hours of the race. There may not be enough rain to even use wet tires, but it may be a challenging decision for teams to make near the end of the race. I plan to post a detailed forecast on Saturday morning, breaking down the weather through the race. I will also post updates during the race on our X account - @RacecastWx. By Doug Schneider Click on images to enlarge Nice weather is expected for this year's edition of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
A high pressure system will be located off the east coast of Florida through most of the week. This will provide partly to mostly sunny skies, and a south wind, which will mean mild temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. One uncertainty at this time is the chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a cold front approaching from the north, but it is unclear how far south the front will get, and how much moisture will be available to produce rain. At this time, I think a slight shower or sprinkle is a possibility, but not enough to have much impact on the race. This could change as we get closer to the weekend, so check back for updates through the week. I have some family plans this week, but I should have an update posted no later than Thursday morning. By Doug Schneider A slight change was made to the Roar forecast for Friday. A cold front will be moving across the area during the day, a little later than previously expected. This means there could be some light showers or sprinkles at any time through the day, until the front moves through in the evening. I don't expect the showers to be heavy enough to have much impact on the on-track activity.
Colder temperatures will build in behind the front, and temperatures will be chilly on Saturday. A north wind at 10-20 mph will make it feel colder than the forecast high of lower 50s. But there will be plenty of sunshine. Sunday looks similar to Saturday, but a bit warmer. By Doug Schneider The main weather story with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 will be the cold temperatures - at least, cold for Florida. Whenever I say that it will be cold with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s, people who live outside of Florida laugh and comment on how that's not really cold. But it is well below normal for Daytona.
Rain is expected in the area on Thursday and Thursday night. Most of this activity should be gone by the start of the activities on Friday, but there's a small chance that there could be isolated showers in the area. Friday will be partly sunny with nice temperatures in the lower 70s, but then a cold front will cross the area late in the day. This will bring much colder temperatures and breezy conditions for Saturday and Sunday. Gusts up to 25 mph are possible at times, and daytime highs will be in the 50s. By Doug Schneider The end of 2023 is upon us, and that means it's time for our annual gallery of the best photos combining our two favorite things - weather and racing. 2023 was a great season for race fans, with tons of action and excitement in IMSA, IndyCar, F1, and SRO World Challenge. We can't wait for the 2024 season to start, and we will be back in a few weeks with the forecast for the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona. You can see our full schedule of race forecasts in the link at the top of the page. We are making a couple changes for next year. Scott Martin is stepping down from our team due to a new job and time commitments. Scott helped me start Racecast Weather 9 years ago, and he will be greatly missed. As a result, we will not be forecasting for SRO World Challenge America races. However, we will continue to have forecast for SRO's IGTC races. Harris will continue to provide you with forecast for Formula One. Stephen will return and focus on forecasts for the IndyCar season. And I will be back with forecasts for all IMSA events. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for following! |
Social Feeds
Authors
Doug Schneider Partners
Categories
All
Archives
December 2023
|